Bengal blast case: Calcutta HC directs CID to include Explosives Act sections in FIR

Kolkata, May 18 A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police to continue with the probe on the explosion at an illegal firecracker factory at Egra in West Bengal's East Midnapore district, and asked it to include sections under the Explosives Act in the FIR.

The explosion, which took place on Tuesday, has claimed nine lives. Although the police filed the FIR, only sections under the Indian Penal Code and West Bengal Fire Service Act were included in the FIR for which the state police attracted severe criticisms.

On Thursday, while hearing on a petition by the leader of the opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the matter, the division bench of Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya gave the direction to the CID to incorporate sections of the Explosives Act and continue with the investigation.

However, the division bench did not give any ruling in favour of the NIA probe in the matter on Thursday. The matter will be heard against June 12.

When shown the pictures of the blasts, Justice Sivagnanam expressed worry over the body-parts recovered in pieces.

Although the initial police investigation has suggested that the explosion was probably from the firecracker manufacturing raw material stocked at the illegal factory, the opposition parties have claimed that the impact of the explosion proves that not firecrackers but crude bombs were being manufactured there.